Brand Aligns With Franchisee’s Values and Supports a More Balanced Life
- Project LeanNation helps busy moms stay on track with healthy meals and coaching.
- The business offers a flexible franchise for moms, with lean operations and recurring revenue through memberships and meal sales.
- The brand focuses on prevention, accountability and sustainable habits that support long-term health.
Busy moms are often pulled between their various obligations until they are stretched thin. Sam Mandrino (above), who owns a Project LeanNation franchise with her husband, recognizes that struggle because it is part of her life too.
“As a mom, I understand firsthand how quickly time becomes your biggest obstacle. You’re balancing your kids, your work, your home and somewhere in there, you’re expected to take care of yourself too,” she says. “That’s exactly where Project LeanNation makes such a powerful difference.”
The company provides nutritious prepared meals along with personalized coaching in a comprehensive approach to helping clients achieve their wellness goals and make lasting changes.
Mandrino and her husband (below) had been Project LeanNation customers for almost a decade before they opened their franchise in 2022 in Canandaigua, N.Y. “We saw how powerful the system was not just in providing structure around nutrition but in truly changing behaviors and helping people take control of their health,” she says.
Since becoming a mother, she’s come to rely on having the prepared meals readily available when she needs them. “There are nights where I’m making dinner for my boys, and instead of skipping a meal or grabbing something off track, I can heat up a meal and sit down with them present, relaxed, and confident that I’m still taking care of my own health,” Mandrino says. “That’s what convenience should look like. It’s not about cutting corners — it’s about creating consistency when life is busy.”
Beyond the meals, she says, Project LeanNation aims to change lives through education and the power of community, with a supportive team that helps clients build sustainable habits.
“It’s not just about having meals ready. It’s about having a system that meets you where you’re at, keeps you accountable, and reminds you that you matter too,” she says. “For so many moms, that’s the missing piece. They put everyone else first, and their own health gets pushed to the side. We help them take that control back in a way that’s realistic and sustainable. It’s not just convenience — it’s consistency, confidence, and a lifestyle that finally works with you, not against you.”
Flexible Franchise for Moms
For people seeking the optimal franchises for moms, Mandrino points to how partnering with Project LeanNation changed her life. “It gave me the tools to take care of myself, rebuild my confidence, and create a life that I’m now incredibly grateful for,” she says. “If you’re a mom looking for something you can truly believe in, something that aligns with your values, your family, and your desire to grow, you don’t need to look for perfection. You need to look for purpose. This isn’t just a business. It’s an opportunity to lead by example, to show your kids what it looks like to take care of your health, to chase something meaningful, and to build a life rooted in discipline, faith, and service to others.”
Mandrino was working in the medical field during the pandemic and saw how the system focused on treating illnesses after they happened, rather than focusing on prevention. “It pushed me to ask a bigger question: how do we help people avoid getting there in the first place? That’s what drew us in,” she says. “Project LeanNation aligned with what we believed in — empowering people through education, accountability, and sustainable habits, not quick fixes. It gave us the opportunity to shift from treating illness to helping prevent it and to build something that could impact the health of our community long-term.”
Over the years, she says, Project LeanNation’s structure for supporting franchisees has grown stronger. “The onboarding systems, training resources, and resource centers are incredibly dialed in,” she says. “Whether you’re a new owner or someone who’s been in it for years, there’s a clear path to follow and a system designed to set you up for success.”
Franchising opportunities that allow flexibility are often the best franchises for moms, and Project LeanNation’s business model allows franchise owners to choose to be hands-on or to supervise from a distance and have a general manager handle daily operations.
Franchise locations don’t need an in-store kitchen because all the meals are prepared at a centralized location. With no need for food preparation staff on-site, operations are lean and teams can focus on member experience. Subscription memberships provide recurring revenue, and sales of grab-and-go meals are another source of revenue.
Project LeanNation was launched in 2012 by founder Tim Dougherty as a way to address the chronic health crisis and to make healthy living more accessible. As the brand has expanded across the country, it has successfully partnered with Limitless Franchise Growth, a company that specializes in accelerating the growth of franchisors.
Leadership Lessons
Mandrino’s experience running a franchise hasn’t been without some challenges. “I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about being liked,” she says, “it’s about being clear, consistent and accountable. Being a woman in leadership has also come with its challenges. There have been moments where I’ve had to earn respect in situations where it wasn’t immediately given. But those experiences have helped me become more confident, more direct and more grounded in who I am as a leader.”
Working with her husband to manage the business also brought challenges, with miscommunication and misunderstandings until they mapped out their roles and responsibilities. “From there, our communication improved dramatically, and we started operating as true partners instead of stepping on each other. Now we play to our strengths. We trust each other in our roles, and that trust has allowed both our marriage and our business to grow,” Mandrino says.
“At Project LeanNation, we talk a lot about consistency over perfection, and I try to live that out in my own life,” she says. “At the end of the day, it’s not about having everything perfectly balanced. It’s about showing up, adjusting when needed, and continuing to move forward with intention.”
Visit the Project LeanNation website to learn more about franchise opportunities.
